If you are an MOT tester you must complete training and pass an assessment between April and March every year. Miss it and the consequence is not a warning letter.
Your MOT tester status will be suspended if you do not pass the annual assessment by 31 March.
Everything below is from the DVSA guidance on taking your annual MOT tester training and assessment, checked 2 August 2026. Check the source before acting: this is a companion, not a substitute.
The four steps, in order
- Do at least 3 hours of MOT tester training each year, for each group you test.
- Record your training on the MOT testing service.
- Book and take your assessment.
- Check your assessment provider has uploaded your result. This step is the one that catches people out.
Why step four matters more than it looks
Passing is not the same as being recorded as having passed. DVSA is explicit: if a pass result has not been uploaded by the end of the training year, your tester status is suspended. The assessment provider does the uploading, not you.
When you pass, the certificate appears in the Annual assessment certificates section of your MOT testing service profile. If it is not there, contact your assessment provider and do not assume it will resolve itself.
If you are a new tester
You start recording annual training from the April after you complete your demonstration test, then complete the assessment before the following March. DVSA gives this worked example:
If you passed your demonstration test on 1 March 2026, you need to record annual training and pass the 2026 to 2027 assessment between 1 April 2026 and 31 March 2027.
There is separate guidance if you are looking to become an MOT tester for the first time.
Do it in autumn, not in March
Search interest in the MOT manual and the testing guide climbs steeply through February and peaks in March, which tells you plainly when most people are doing this. March is also the busiest month of the year for MOT demand: searches for "MOT near me" run about 135,000 in March against a baseline nearer 90,500.
Booking your assessment in October costs the same as booking it in March, and does not collide with your busiest month. If you run the diary for a garage with more than one tester, stagger them rather than losing testing capacity in the same fortnight.